-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- From the single , centrally-positioned seat to the crash-proof frame , this Formula One-like car is an alluring piece of kit . It would make any driver stand out in a traffic jam , and it 's completely road legal .

But the truly ground-breaking feature of BAC 's ultra-sleek design is still under wraps . The company are developing an autonomous rear wing that self-transforms according to the conditions . In rainy weather it curves to increase downforce for a safer drive , and straightens out when the downpour clears . This process is powered by the rain itself .

The startling concept is the result of collaboration with MIT 's pioneering Self-Assembly Lab , which seeks to programme materials to build themselves , and transform how we make things .

`` Any place that uses robotics today , you could use materials and have the same capabilities , '' says Skylar Tibbits , a computational architect who leads the Lab and the movement . `` With planes , we have done a great job of making articulated wings to have lift , to change aerodynamics and make the plane functional . But the weight , energy and control mechanisms involved are pretty excessive at this point . Trying to find more elegant solutions seems an obvious target , and what we 're proposing is a single material with the same actuation capability , the same sensing , the same range of movement , if not more . ''

The self-assembly process has been described as 4D printing . Tibbits ' team produce composite materials that react in predictable ways when exposed to external stimulus such as water . The materials are 3D-printed into specific shapes and then autonomously transform into another , with wide-ranging implications for industry from automotive to medical to military .

But the dream for a new paradigm of component-free , labor-sparing robotics requires further breakthroughs . `` More materials , more energy sources , '' Tibbits says are the current priorities . Wood and carbon fibers are responding well , but `` can we do it with everyday materials , with repeatability ? Can we fuel it with heat and light ? ''

If he can , the results would not merely match existing capabilities . `` We can develop material compositions that respond to many different triggers , or find solutions that have n't been programmed but fall within an acceptable range . They could self-optimize based on logic and sensing . ''

Tibbits acknowledges that `` not every industry likes surprises , '' but the Lab 's client list indicates a huge appetite for self-assembly . In addition to BAC , the team are collaborating with Airbus to develop the wing design .

They are working with engineering giants Geosyntec to deliver autonomous pipes that expand , narrow and regulate the flow , taking on the function of pump and valve . Fashion and furniture are also targets -- making the self-lacing sneakers of ` Back to the Future ' a possibility at last .

The field is expanding . Harvard 's Dr. Jennifer Lewis is leading a wide-ranging exploration of 4D printing , which recently received a grant from the US military , along with two other research institutions . Morphing camouflage is among the mooted targets .

Demand for 4D is reaching a fever pitch , says Dr. Junus Kahn , founder of Carbitex , which produces the materials used by the Self-Assembly Lab , as well as supplying them to major business clients .

`` Our clients are looking for the next big idea , they are actively seeking innovation and believe this could transform manufacturing , '' says Kahn . `` If you have products that know how to mould and assemble based on energy , it takes out the menial labor that has forced manufacturers to relocate abroad where it 's cheaper . ''

Kahn believes transport is the fastest-progressing sector for the concept , and expects automotive examples to be on the market as early as 2016 .

Once self-assembly is proven , it could spread as rapidly as its precursor 3D printing , along with concerns about the implications .

`` Everyone is always scared that technology will take our jobs , '' says Tibbits , rolling his eyes . `` But it has always created jobs rather than destroyed them . Another fear is it will get out of control , or be abused . But we should be afraid of people not technology , we should n't stop inventing . ''

If the full scale of his vision is realized , we might need to do little else .

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Self-assembling vehicles ready to hit the market

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Almost any material could be programmed to build itself , a process known as 4D printing

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MIT 's Self-Assembly lab have partnership in industries from fashion to aviation

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The process will transform manufacturing and labor